Bowls round-up: Liberty Trophy final first for Northants

Northants men have reached the final of the Liberty Trophy for the first time after a brilliant semi-final win over Dorset.

The County will now take on Lincolnshire in the Liberty final next month.

The semi-final of the most prestigious of all inter-county competitions was played at a neutral venue in Newbury in Berkshire on Saturday.

The first end went the way of Dorset as they immediately posted a four-shot lead at 9-5, but that deficit was soon remedied by the County on the next end which went 8-2 shots in its favour to take a lead which was never seriously challenged for the remainder of the match.

By halfway Northants were 82-41 ahead after 11 ends. With the quality of players at Dorset’s disposal that sort of lead was never likely to be sustained, and so it proved as Dorset had an equal share of the scoring over the next four ends and kept the County’s lead to 39 shots after 15 ends.

The 16th end was not a good one for the County, and as the Dorset men picked up a total of 18 shots without reply on that one end, the County supporters became just a little anxious for the lead was cut to just 21 shots.

They need not have worried over much, however, for the last ends of play were pretty even, and when five of the rinks had finished, the two ends left to be played by Paul Broderick’s rink were not necessary as the win had been secured by 20 shots.

The highest scoring rinks for the County were those skipped by Neil Corbyn and Jamie Walker, each having an advantage of eight shots, and the final score was Northamptonshire 127 Dorset 107.

Northampton bowlers Jamie Walker and Neil McKee will represent England in this week’s British Isles International Series in County Durham.

Stanley IBC is the setting for the competition between the home countries of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.

The series is played from Thursday (March 12) to Saturday (March 14) with two six-rink matches on each of the three days.

Walker, of Wellingborough IBC, and McKee, of Kingsthorpe, are both in the England team and will both have hopefully got used to the green as they are playing in the British Isles Championships which precedes this Series, with Walker in the Men’s Singles and McKee in the Men’s Pairs.

Walker is playing at No.3 on the rink skipped by Sam Tolchard of Torquay United IBC, Devon, and they will be joined at lead by Brett Arkley of Stanley IBC and at No. 2 by regular International David Bolt, also of Stanley IBC.

McKee will be playing at No.2 in the rink skipped by Graham Shadwell of Clarrie Dunbar IBC, Frome, Somerset, and they will be joined by Steven Mitchinson of Tye Green IBC, Harlow, Essex, at lead and at No.3 by Stephen Farish of Cumbria IBC.

First up for England will be Ireland at 4pm on Thursday, and on Friday England face Wales at 10am. The third and final match in the Series will see England play Scotland on March 14 at 3pm.

Meanwhile, four Northants bowlers are this week in action in the British Isles Indoor Championships at Stanley IBC in County Durham.